CultCast #365: The 10% Apple store discount you shouldn't use, plus our favorite shows of 2018!

This week: Apple’s new online store includes a 10% discount on ALL products, but there’s a catch…. Plus: redesigned AirPods are on the way; Tim Cook promises more Apple censorship; and we wrap up with our favorite shows of 2018!   This episode supported by   Easily create a beautiful website all by yourself, at Squarespace.com/cultcast. Use offer code CultCast at checkout to get 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain.   Opsgenie empowers Dev & Ops teams to plan for service disruptions and stay in control during incidents.  It also gives teams the power to respond quickly and efficiently to unplanned issues. Visit Opsgenie.com to sign up to get a FREE company account and add up to 5 team members.   Audible is the home of over 150,000 audio books from practically every genre in existence, and right now you can get 3 books a month for just $6.95 a month, half off the normal price.  And your books are yours to keep even if you decide not to keep your Audible subscription.  Get started at audible.com/cultcast.   CultCloth will keep your iPhone X, Apple Watch, Mac and iPad sparkling clean, and for a limited time use code CULTCAST at checkout to score a free CleanCloth with any order at CultCloth.co.   Thanks to Kevin McLeod for the music you hear on today’s episode.   On the show this week @erfon / @lkahney / @lewiswallace     Plot twist: Erfon's 2018 MacBook Pro story update takes a unexpected turn... Apple store adds 10% discount for vets and military https://www.cultofmac.com/594072/apple-discounts-for-vets-military/

• I think this may be one of the biggest stories of the year, but no one seems to be talking about it.
• Apple revealed this week that it has launched a new website that gives a 10% discount to vets and active military members that the company says is an expression of its gratitude for service.
• It's just like the education store, but it provides a flat discount of 10% across ALL products.
• This is the biggest, most broad discount, possibly ever.
• When I first heard about this, I didn't think much of it.  But then I found out that, just like the education store, the military and vets site doesn’t ask for verification so it’s all based on the honor system.  You just click into it, and poof, all prices drop 10%...
• Base iPhone 10s Max, usually $1100, is $989 (only sim-free iPhones are discounted)
• Base 11" iPad Pro, normally $799, is $719.  256GB is down to $854 from $949.

  Updated AirPods will supposedly land in early 2019 https://www.cultofmac.com/593894/updated-airpods-are-supposedly-on-their-way-in-early-2019/

• Upgraded AirPods are on the way in early 2019, with a total redesign scheduled for 2020. At least, that’s according to reliable Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo
• Our boy big Ming claims that the big improvement for next year’s AirPods will be the addition of wireless charging support.
• He doesn’t, however, elaborate on what the major 2020 redesign is likely to mean for the AirPods.
• He did say that the AirPods are Apple’s most popular accessory of all time, and suggests that the number of units sold will likely rise from 16 million in 2017 to more than 100 million by 2021.

  Tim Cook promises Apple to those that "push hate, division, or violence" https://www.cultofmac.com/594150/tim-cook-promises-apple-wont-give-a-platform-to-violent-conspiracy-theorists/

• During his acceptance speech for the Anti-Defamation League’s first ever “Courage Against Hate” award today, Apple CEO Tim Cook made it clear that his company won’t shy away from taking moral positions.
• “We only have one message for those who seek to push hate, division or violence: You have no place on our platforms,” Cook said.
• He went on to say “At Apple, we are not afraid to say that our values drive our curation decisions. And why should we be? Doing what’s right, creating experiences [free] from violence and hate, experiences that empower creativity and new ideas is what our customers want us to do,”
• Cook pointed out that Apple has always banned music that espouses white supremacy from iTunes and Apple Music “because it’s the right thing to do.”
• But what about all the other music that is filled with violence, hatred, and mysogyny.  It's not like Apple Music is full of only country music. 

    Our favorite shows of 2018!   Barry https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5348176/   Homeland https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1796960/   American Horror Story https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1844624   Arrested Development  https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0367279   Killing Eve https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7016936/   Rest in Power https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6719962/